Visper
by jmizer
Summary: A weekly series of "Episodes" following the exploits of Visper, a Twi'Lek slave from Tattooine.
1. Chapter 1

Episode 1

Tattooine's twin suns burned down upon Visper's shoulders. It was a hot day, even for Jundland. She stooped over and dug a small hole a few feet deep. Sweat poured off her face and into the hole forming a small muddy puddle. Visper stood and pulled a data pad out of her satchel. She pressed a few of the areas on the screen and a small holographic map appeared in front of her.

"One down, 167 to go," she muttered to herself.

She stashed the data pad away and tucked the shovel under her arm. She felt the handle bump lightly against of several of her ribs. She was thin, even by a slave's standards. Not particularly pretty, though as a Twi'lek, she wasn't exactly homely either. Her pale purple skin had a red tinge and a wreath of blisters across her shoulders from the double sunlight. Around her long, thin neck was a silver slave collar.

She stretched her aching back, and sighed as a few satisfying crackles radiated up her spine. Her lekku twitched ever so slightly at the feeling. The callouses on her hands felt better for a moment as she let her arms dangle while she walked. She was thirsty and tired, but in good spirits, given the circumstances. She never minded being out in the desert. It gave her time to think, sing and all manner of other activities that were banned in the slave camp.

Visper moved along the path marked on the indicated by the map. She stopped every so often to dig the small hole required for the charge that would blast deep into the sand looking for buried moisture. Occasionally she would look back at the path of holes she had dug. They stretched away from her until the low lying mirage of the mid-day obscured their view. Despite the heat, she was thankful her masters set her on dig duty instead of selling her. Most young Twi'lek girls were bought by the cantinas, or worse, one of the Hutts. Slaves didn't last long when a Hutt was no longer entertained by them, and dying in the desert seemed preferable to having one of those disgusting slugs feed you to their pets for fun.

She became thirstier as the hours passed and hoped that one of the others would be by soon with her water ration. Even if they were, she knew it wouldn't be enough to quench her thirst, not that that the sand-tainted water ever did. It wasn't until dusk that she finally spotted Old Nala walking towards her with a water jug. The elderly Twi'Lek had been a slave her entire life. Her limbs were gnarled from decades of hard work. Her shoulders sagged from carrying water across the burning desert.

"Oh Visper dear, I'm so sorry it took me so long. Gerrid broke one of his fingers..." Nala said as she approached. Gerrid was one of the other slaves. He had a strong will and a rebellious streak, neither of which served him well as a slave. He was constantly attempting to subvert the guards in small ways.

"It's alright Nala, I understand" Visper croaked through her thirst. If she hadn't interrupted, Nala would have gone on for an hour about whatever had happened. Having nothing to drink but spit and sand for ten hours made Visper impatient. Nala's story would have to wait until Visper's thirst was quenched. Still, Visper wondered what Gerrid had done. Nala poured a small amount of water into Visper's hand and she drank deeply. Spitting out the grit, she smiled at Nala and took up the jug of water. Nala smiled at the gesture.

"Only until we get in sight of the camp, you know what they would do if they caught you sharing work." Nala said, ominously.

Almost as if on cue, they both felt the tingle of a minor charge in their collar letting them know that the day was over. They had to be back before both suns set or Rhaad would make examples out of them.

Rhaad was the guard-master at the slave camp. Rumor had it that he was a mandalorian, which was enough to strike fear into most. Even the other guards feared his ruthless efficiency. He was a large, cold looking man with close-cropped black hair and a jaw like stone. The shock collar was his instrument and he made terrible music with it. Fond of public disciplines, he would shock anyone who stepped even slightly out of line, cruelly taunting them in the process. "You will obey. You will work. You will be punished." he would say over the loudspeaker as each workday began.

Visper and Nala picked up their pace and made it back to the walled slave compound before dark. The end of the work day was always a difficult time for the slaves. If anyone was late returning to the camp they would all be punished. Rhaad would line all of the slaves up and shock them one by one, giving each slave time to anticipate the pain. Some slaves couldn't bear the anticipation and would even beg to be shocked first. Rhaad would often make them wait to be last. Visper could feel the tension subside when Rhaad closed the gate and went back to the guards' quarters, tucking the shock collar actuator into his belt pouch. Today, everyone had made it back inside.

The camp was a collection of tents and lean-tos. There were tattered rugs strewn about alongside the tents where slaves laid exhausted from the day. The camp's wall closed off the end of a small canyon, making for a perfect prison. Small cavities were carved into the surrounding red and brown canyon walls to serve as sleeping quarters for the slaves. The only real buildings in the camp were the barracks, where the guards lived, the administration building and the guard tower.

Visper and Nala made their way to the crowded mess tent. The stench of sweat and Tattooinian cuisine greeted them. They found a small rug near one of the tent flaps and sat after gathering their ration. A wamp rat paw each and a biscuit made of some kind of grit. Washing the last of her meal down with more of the gritty water, Visper stood and helped Nala out of the tent. They walked along the small dirt path leading around the walls of the canyon. It was quiet as normal. The slaves didn't have much reason to converse and gatherings of more than two or three were usually met with a beating. Nala's mottled, green skin stretched over the bones in her back as she stooped down to enter her cave.

She turned and smiled at Visper "Good night dear. I'll do my best to make it to you earlier tomorrow."

"Thank you, but make sure to take care of Gerrid first. The slavers will be extra hard on him." Visper said. Sickness and weakness were frowned upon by the slavers. Each slave had a specific sector they belonged to. Each of these had a quota to be met, be it holes dug, charges set or wamp rats slaughtered and cooked. If quotas weren't met, the responsible slaver's pay would be docked. Beatings were issued to the slaves who fell behind.

Visper walked back to her own hovel. She pulled back the tattered burlap curtain that served as her only form of privacy and walked inside. In one corner she had a small plasteel cylinder that held her clothes. Along the wall, taking up the majority of the tiny room was a cot with several large holes worn through it. She had a pillow and a few bantha furs for a blanket. The sun burns on her shoulders stung. She stretched her legs and arms in an attempt to keep them from being stiff in the morning. It never seemed to work but it felt good after a long day's work. She kicked off her dusty work boots and rubbed her aching feet.

The slaves were allowed only a couple hours to relax before they were forced to sleep. As the two suns fully dipped below the horizon, a gentle breeze began to blow through the camp. The wind felt like silk, soothing her aching body. She leaned against the cave wall and hummed quietly to herself. Absentmindedly twirling the end of her lekku she mused over the crude charcoal drawings she had made along the walls over the years. They were mostly depictions of plants and animals she had imagined. Some were based on descriptions that a few of the slaves had provided. A fearsome rancor towered over a shrub with berries in one scene. A group of fish with tentacles swam in a pond in another. She dreamed of faraway places where trees grew and birds sang instead of squawked. She had always wondered if the plants that grew on Felucia really glowed like some of the others said.

Her humming stopped when she heard the scream.

She cautiously opened the flap and looked into the camp. The fire kept by the guards blazed in the center of the common area. Coals were scattered as one of the guards flailed backward into the fire. Nearby she saw the source of the scream. A young girl, barely thirteen if she was a day, lay bare-chested on the ground. A dark bruise was already forming over her left eye. Gerrid stood above her, arms spread in protection. She would recognize him anywhere. His golden skin and red eyes seemed to radiate even in the darkness. His lekku, wrapped loosely around his neck, had large dark spots at the ends. He was tall, and had he not been deprived of food, would likely be strong and athletic.

"Get away from her!" Gerrid shouted, tears rolling down his face. That's when Visper realized the girl was Gerrid's sister, Shelod. She was small and pretty, with pink skin and the same dark spots that her brother had.

The guard yelped with pain as he rolled out of the fire. "Stupid slave!" he snarled as he reached for the shock actuator in his belt. Gerrid leaped at him and held his arm to the ground. Shelod scrambled away from the fight, running directly into the arms of Rhaad.

He grabbed her by the shock collar and lifter her off her feet.

"What's going on here?" He sneered.

"Rhaad! Get this little bastard off me!" the other guard shouted as Gerrid rained blows down on his head and chest. They were of little effect. Gerrid's broken finger kept him from applying any real force.

Rhaad looked into Shelod's eyes as he held up the shock actuator. She winced as Rhaad pressed the button on the side of the device. Gerrid let out a blood curdling howl as his body limply fell to the ground. His back arched and his limbs flailed as Rhaad pressed the button repeatedly.

The guard was on him. The butt of his blaster knocking teeth free from Gerrid's mouth. Rhaad carelessly tossed Shelod to the ground. She curled into a ball, coughing and gasping for air as though the wind had been knocked out of her. Rhaad walked over and kicked the guard in the ribs, sending him sprawling.

"He needs to be able to work tomorrow," Rhaad said, matter-of-factly. "And what have I told you about taking the girls? Do you have permission from the boss to have one?" he asked the guard. None of the slaves had ever seen the boss and didn't even know his name. They knew only that he owned them and that Rhaad was his right hand.

The guard meekly looked up from the ground, "Guh... no sir. Sorry sir, won't happen again," he coughed.

"It better not, or the Sarlaac will be vomiting up your bones in a thousand years." Rhaad threatened. "Now, take this wretch to the cages." he said pointing at Gerrid.

Wamp rats are the main source of food for the camp. The foul creatures were fed even more poorly than the slaves and were kept in filthy cages on near the back of the canyon. Several of the cages were empty and served as jail cells for misbehaving slaves. "What's the difference? They are both livestock" Rhaad would say. Being put in the cages meant, at best, smelling like a dead wamp rat for days. At worst it meant infection and certain death in the desert.

Visper could see that Shelod was hurt. Without thinking, Visper raced to her side. She had barely taken the girl into her arms before she felt the shock. She saw stars as the sky reeled overhead. Pain seared through her neck and down her spine. Her muscles felt like jelly and she couldn't speak. Shelod tried to crawl over and help her. The pain stopped for a moment as Visper saw a boot go into Shelod's ribcage. Visper felt herself being hauled to her feet by her shock collar, choking her. She was spun around harshly and found herself face to face with Rhaad. He slapped her hard.

"Back in your hole, worm. The little bitch will be fine." He spat as he shouldered past her, knocking her back to the ground. He stopped and picked up Shelod by the collar and roughly slung her over his shoulder and carried her back to the guard house.

By this time slaves were standing outside of their holes. No one came to Visper's aid. They knew the same fate would befall them should they move any closer. Several guards had filled the courtyard and began shocking and kicking the gathered slaves, issuing orders to go back inside their holes and go to sleep.

Visper struggled to her knees. She slowly crawled back inside her cave and collapsed on the floor. Tears welled in her eyes as the pain subsided. "Damn you, Rhaad." she sobbed quietly. She lay there thinking about the terror in Shelod's eyes, the anger on the faces of the other slaves. She thought of Gerrid, locked in a cage with wamp rats trying to bite him through the bars. She felt powerless. She looked at the paintings on the wall, blurred by her tears and imagined a paradise where they could all live without fear of being beaten and shocked. She rolled over onto her back exhausted, staring out of the open flap into the stars. Her eyes became heavy and she fell asleep on the dirt floor.

She dreamt of freedom.


	2. Chapter 2

Episode 2

Visper awoke to the familiar, jarring sound of the loudspeaker. "You will work. You will obey. You will be punished," Rhaad's voice echoed throughout the canyon.

She realized that she had fallen asleep on the floor. Dirt was caked on the side of her face and on her arms. She shakily rose to her feet and dusted herself off. She felt a presence behind her and turned around. A pair of boots were visible under the burlap curtain over the cave opening.

"Slave, Rhaad wants to see you," said a gruff voice from outside. She slipped her boots on without tying them and grabbed her satchel. When summoned by Rhaad, every moment of delay could prove to be very painful. She pulled back the curtain and walked out, taking care not to make eye contact with the guard. The twin suns hung low in the early morning sky, already heating the air to an uncomfortable level. A bead of sweat rolled down Visper's neck, though from fear or the heat she couldn't tell.

Around her, the camp was coming alive. Slaves were rousing from their bunks and gathering their tools. A shouted order could be heard here and there. Some were followed by cries of pain. As she looked around, she noticed that the other slaves were avoiding her gaze. Was it the guard leading her? Perhaps it was the painful memory of the scuffle last night? Either way, it didn't matter much. Visper didn't know the majority of the slaves. The few she did know weren't much more than acquaintances, aside from Nala of course. She counted Gerrid as a friend, though they never spoke more than a few words to each other. He seemed trustworthy and was always cordial with her.

Visper and the guard walked past the tower and towards the administration building. She could see slaves exiting the main gate, trudging towards their daily tasks. She wondered how many of them would succumb to the heat and never return. As the pair approached the administration building, the guards standing at the door stood at attention.

"Taking this one to see Rhaad," the guard leading Visper said flatly. The other two guards relaxed and motioned him on. Visper entered the door behind him. She was met with a refreshing blast of artificially cooled air. Inside the building, all along the gray steel walls were various pieces of art. An ancient clay pot on a pedestal, a tapestry with some cryptic looking language and various other artifacts. They had the reddish-brown tinge of sand that let Visper know that these were all from Tatooine. They had probably been found by the slaves as they went about their various activities. Turning in such artifacts wasn't unheard of, and doing so would be rewarded. Typically, Rhaad would allow two meals the following day as payment; a lavish reward. The guard led Visper through the small number of offices and corridors to a stairway.

"Hes up there slave," he said, and pushed her roughly with the stock of his rifle. Visper stumbled forward, nearly tripping over the first stair. She regained her composure and walked slowly upward. She wished she could run away and wondered what punishment would be dealt. It would surely be severe to warrant a visit to Rhaad's office. As she reached the top of the stairs, she stopped for a moment to tie her boots and compose herself. She knelt on the small landing in front of the door to Rhaad's office. The smell of food radiated from behind the door. She wondered if that was to be a part of the torture, eating a meal in front of her that she could never hope to have. She smoothed her lekku and stood. Pressing the button near the door, she heard a chime.

"Enter," she heard Rhaad say. The door slid upward and she entered the office. It was simple and spartan. No rug on the floor or comfortable furniture. A single window let in the early morning sunlight, which clashed unnaturally with the artificial light from the bulbs in the ceiling. Rhaad sat at his desk reading something on a data pad. A plate with leftovers of food lay at the edge of the desk. Next to it a cup half filled with some sort of blue liquid that she had never seen before. The smell of the food was so intoxicating that she nearly didn't notice Shelod sitting on a chair in the corner. She looked well enough, aside from the yellow and black bruise over her eye. She sat with her arms crossed looking out the window. Behind Rhaad was a small set of shelves. Various weapons, armor and ship models were carefully placed on each one.

"Quite a night you two had," he said to Visper, not looking away from his data pad.

"Yes, master," Visper said, shakily.

"You know that we do not tolerate interference by slaves in guard activities, don't you slave?" he asked.

"Yes, Master," she answered.

"You know that the punishment for interfering is a day in the cages and shock treatment, then?" he asked. Visper risked a glance at Shelod, who was now intently staring at her.

"Y-yes, Master" Visper stuttered. Rhaad laid down his data pad and sat back in his chair. He folded his hands in his lap.

"Seeing as how you have had a shock already, I would say that punishment has been served for this infraction," he said. "You are very consistent in your duties. It would be fiscally irresponsible for me to keep you away from your work for a day in the cages," he added.

Visper couldn't believe what she was hearing. She came into this room believing she would be beaten or shocked, but she was being... complimented?

"You will take this girl with you on your daily work. You will teach her how to perform the digging duties and to be as efficient as you, or you will both pay the penalty," Rhaad said, raising his hand to point at Shelod. The two girls glanced at each other, both surprised and relieved.

"Yes, Master," Visper said as she looked at the floor subserviently.

"You are both dismissed. Do not disappoint me," Rhaad said, pressing the button that opened the door. Shelod stood and walked to the door with Visper. After they crossed the threshold the door slammed shut behind them. Shelod threw her arms around Visper's waist.

"I've never been so afraid!" she exclaimed. Visper bent down slightly to be eye level with her.

"Its okay now. I don't know why he showed us mercy but we ought not question it," Visper said in the most reassuring tone she could muster. "By the end of the week you'll be the best charge digger in the outer rim!" she added, trying to put on a smile.

"Thank you, Visper. Gerrid said you were a good person," Shelod said as a single tear rolled down her cheek from her blackened eye. Visper wiped away the tear with her thumb and gently patted Shelod on the cheek with her palm.

"Well, we'd better get going. We've lost a lot of time dealing with this mess," Visper said. She took Shelod's hand and lead her down the stairs. The guard at the bottom motioned them on towards the front entrance. They stopped for a moment at the entrance, sucking in a few last breaths of the artificially cooled air.

They stepped outside into the already sweltering heat of the morning. Visper lead Shelod to the tent where the digging supplies were kept. There were various bins of different types of tools, mostly old and broken from years of use. Visper handed Shelod the best shovel she could find among the bunch. They rummaged through the pile of work boots in the corner of the tent, finding a pair that were almost the right size for Shelod's feet and with only a few holes. Visper grabbed an aging data pad and a small burlap satchel, handing them to Shelod.

"You are beginning to look the part of a digger now!" Visper said. Shelod hefted the weight of the shovel and the burlap looked uncomfortable on her shoulder. Visper could tell that she was not looking forward to the hard work to come. She would have to get used to it though, since neither of them wanted to find out the 'penalty' Rhaad had threatened.

They left the tent and made their way to the water trough near the front gate. They were allowed to drink their fill before going out into the sand. Visper encouraged Shelod to drink as much as she could, as they would be wandering far afield and would probably not receive a water ration until late in the day. They both drank until a visible mound had formed until their bellies were distended. The water tasted horrible as usual.

The two exited the gate and rounded the canyon wall. Visper pulled out her data pad and instructed Shelod to do the same. She demonstrated the proper way to pull up the day's dig sites and how to navigate the desert. There were hundreds of small sensors planted all around the land owned by the slavers marking its boundary. These served as way points for the slaves as they went about their work. The area was massive, though, and would take many days to cross on foot. The markers did little more than provide a point of reference on the data pad.

They made their way to the first site noted on the pad. "Okay, I want you to watch how deep I dig this. It's important not to push yourself too hard. If you go too fast you'll get tired and you might die out here," Visper instructed. It was strange for her to have company. She wondered if Shelod would mind her humming as they walked along. "Besides, if you finish your quota early, they will give you more to do the next day. Always try to do what they ask you and nothing more," she added. Visper almost felt a sense of pride, as if she was a great teacher showing the young ones the way of the world. She knew the truth though, that she was showing Shelod monotony that would be the rest of her life.

"I want you to do the next one, just as I showed you," Visper said. They walked along quietly for the most part. Occasionally Shelod would ask a question involving the digging, but she seemed to be the quiet type. They reached the next dig site and Shelod did as she was instructed. She dug a few spadefuls of sand and piled it next to the hole. She marked the coordinates on the data pad as finished.

"Like that?" she asked.

"Perfect," Visper said. They walked on, taking turns on the holes. Hours passed and the suns reached their apex overhead. Visper felt the heat on her shoulders which began to blister as they often did. She could see Shelod's pretty pink skin turning an angry red. She knew that it wouldn't hurt until the evening and that there was nothing she could do to help. Visper thought it best that Shelod deal with the pain in her own way, come to terms with it the way Visper had. Alone.

"I hear you humming sometimes," Shelod said, snapping Visper out of her self pity.

"Oh; do you? I'm embarrassed," Visper answered truthfully. She thought it was silly and made her seem childish.

"Don't be, it's comforting," Shelod continued "It takes my mind off of things sometimes, when I hear you."

Visper didn't know how to answer. She felt self conscious and frightened. Had the guards heard her as well? She hated drawing attention to herself.

"Well, lets try to keep that between us. Wouldn't want the guards thinking I have any spirit," she said. "Might try to beat it out of me," she added, sourly.

"I'm sorry," said Shelod, bashfully.

"Don't be. It isn't your fault we're in this dreadful place," Visper countered. "We all have our little forms of rebellion. What do you do to take your mind off things?" She asked.

"I don't really know," Shelod said, thinking. "Talk to people I guess. Gerrid is friends with a lot of the other slave men. They always seem to have an interesting story to tell about living here. I bet he will have a good one to tell about last night..." she trailed off. Visper could see the streak of remorse wash across Shelod's face.

"Maybe I should have let that guard have me instead of screaming like a child," Shelod said. Visper's mind reeled at the thought. Shelod _was_ a child. She spun on her heel and knelt down, taking Shelod's hand.

"They may own your body, but not your thoughts," she said. "That man was trying to take the only thing you have from you. You did the right thing. Gerrid did the right thing. The only one who was wrong was that slaver who tried to hurt you," she finished with tears welling in her eyes. Shelod looked surprised at the sudden outburst of kindness.

"Thank you," Shelod said, fighting back tears. "I thought my brother said those things just to make me feel better. Having you say the same is so..." she didn't get to finish. She spun around as she heard the squeaking.

From behind, dozens of small furry rodents were rushing at them. They swarmed over each other like a vile nest of worms. Some had small sets of razor sharp antlers. They squealed and gnashed their little teeth, hungry to kill to two seemingly helpless women. Visper recognized them from stories others had told.

"Scurriers! Run Shelod!" She shouted. They both stood up and started to sprint away. Several of the beasts had already made it to them and had leapt onto their backs and legs. They bit and gnawed, drawing blood and causing searing pain. Shelod screamed in terrified agony as they chewed at her. Visper instinctively turned to help, ripping the little monsters from Shelod's skin. Each one tore away with a small patch of her hide. A few had caught up and were pouncing on Visper.

She let out a strangled shout "Go!"

Shelod scrambled away, batting a few scurriers that had managed to jump on her. Visper stood unbalanced and began pulling the rodents off of herself. She saw Shelod's shovel laying nearby. She ran towards it, feeling the scurriers ripping at her heels. In one fluid motion she grabbed the shovel off the ground and swung it in a wide circle behind her. At least ten of the small rodents were sent flying away, their fragile bodies broken by the metal shovel head. She swung again and again, each time killing a few more. The horde began to retreat, giving Visper a moment to pull the last few from her body and stomp them into the sand. The scurriers lay all around her as their green blood seeped into the sand mingling with Visper and Shelod's. Visper fell onto her stomach, exhausted.

Shelod, seeing the outcome of the melee, doubled back and knelt beside Visper.

"Visper!" she exclaimed, "Are you okay? Speak to me!" She tried to soak up some of the blood on Visper's skin with her satchel, but it did little more than smear. Visper rolled over, groaning. The pain was stinging her.

"I'll be okay," Visper managed to say. "Just need water," she coughed. Shelod spun around in a panic, searching for a water carrier.

"Where...where do I go?" she stammered, tears running down her cheeks. Visper pointed back towards the camp.

"Follow the holes," Visper said before she fainted.


	3. Chapter 3

**Episode 3**

A few hours passed before Visper's eyes fluttered open. She found herself staring up at a ceiling instead of the sky she expected. Her body was stinging with pain. She slowly remembered the scurriers. Sitting up slowly slowly on the edge of the cot she had been placed on, she wondered where she was. It was a small hut made of red clay. The ceiling was low enough that she would have to stoop over if she stood. Piles of junk and machine parts lay scattered around her. A large pail of water and a spoon sat next to the bed. Without thinking she grabbed the spoon and slurped water from the pale. It tasted wonderful: so clear and crisp, not to mention slightly cold.

It dawned on her that she was not at the camp. She didn't know if it had been merely hours or days. She looked out a small window and saw that the suns were low in the sky; it was nearly quitting time.

"Where am I?" she wondered out loud. She found her satchel at the end of the cot, but her data pad wasn't inside. Panicked, she began looking all around the hut. She tossed ship parts and droid pieces with abandon, knowing that if she lost that data pad she would be beaten within an inch of her life. On a small table in the back corner, she found the pad. It looked like it had been broken to pieces at first glance. She realized it had been expertly taken apart. Lying next to it was a silver circle, about the size of a small plate. Her shock collar.

Her hand instantly shot up to her neck. She felt nothing but her own skin and the still fresh bite marks of the scurriers. Fear solidified in her stomach. Removal of a slave collar was beyond beating, beyond shocking. It was a terminal offense. The punishment for removing the collar was public torture and feeding to the Sarlaac. She had only seen the punishment once when she was a young girl. The last poor old man that removed his collar had his fingers blown off by the explosive charge inside. They tied him to a post in the middle of camp and lashed him with a long glowing gold whip for what seemed like hours. They untied him and beat him until he cried out for them to kill him. Then they tied his lekku to a speeder and dragged him to the Sarlaac. Rhaad showed a special video feed to the slaves of the man being devoured.

She picked up the collar and tried to put it back on, but the clasp seemed to be broken. It was spring-loaded and would hang around her neck loosely, but it would not be enough to hide the fact that it was open in the back. Her eyes filled with tears and she fell to her knees. She didn't want to die. She thought of her cave paintings and all the beautiful stories she had heard of the outside world.

Something rustled outside the small door of the hut. She spun around, looking for anything with which to defend herself. She picked up a rusty measure of pipe and held it in front of her. The door opened and a small creature stepped inside. It was wearing an orange cloak and a belt. Items in various states of disrepair hung from all around its waist. One of them was a blaster.

"Stay back!" Visper shouted at the small person, "I'm warning you!"

The little humanoid held up his hands and looked at her. She couldn't see his face in the shadow of the cloak, but she could see red shining eyes looking at her.

"Eyeta! Eyeta!" He said in some strange language Visper had never heard before. The little man seemed scared, but not threatening in the least. He slowly reached down and unhooked his blaster from its pouch. Visper raised the pipe in response, but the man dropped the blaster on the floor and kicked it over to her.

"Eyeta!" he repeated. He then patted his chest. "Jib-Jub! Eyeta!".

Visper lowered the pipe. She was confused and scared, not wanting to figure out what the little man was saying. She sat back down and pulled her knees to her chest.

"Please, just tell me where I am? I need to get home and try to explain this mess to Rhaad," Visper said, pointing the the data pad and holding up her shock collar with a thumb.

"Jib-Jub tando," the little man said. He walked slowly towards her with his hands up. He inched his way between her and the table. He began working on the parts of the data pad. His clawed fingers were swift and careful. He pieced the data pad back together in a matter of a few moments. He powered it on and handed it to her.

"Jib-Jub tando!" he said. Visper cautiously took the data pad from him. It was clean and worked perfectly, even a bit faster than before. The creature rung its hands, almost as if he were waiting for her approval.

"Thats...amazing," she said tentatively. He let out a strange laugh and wiggled his arms above his head. She couldn't help but smile.

"Can you fix this, too?" she asked pointing at her neck. He nodded and sifted through a box of tools next to the table. He walked behind her and fiddled with the latch. After a few moments she felt it lock into place. He walked back in front of her holding a small piece of metal with wires sticking out of it. He pointed to the small piece he had and back to her neck.

"Boom!" he said to her. "No boom!" he said and tossed the small piece aside into a pile of junk. She realized that he had taken the explosive detonator out of the collar. She held up a piece of glass from one of the nearby piles. In the reflection, she inspected the collar. The small red indicator flashed as normal. It looked like it had not been tampered with in any way.

Visper looked at the creature for a moment. She lunged forward hand hugged him tightly. He seemed surprised at this, but slowly returned the hug.

"Thank you!" Visper cried, tears once again streaming down her face. The man patted her on the back reassuringly and stepped back.

"What's your name, little guy?" she asked. Only Nala and Shelod had ever been this kind to her. She felt a strange draw to him, as if they were meant to be friends. The little man bowed a short, curt bow.

"Jib-Jub," he said.

"Jib-Jub, huh? Mine's Visper," she held out her hand to shake his. He took it in both of his and shook quickly up and down. She smiled and looked out the window. The suns were getting very low now. After a few moment she felt a tiny shock from the collar. She quickly pulled up her coordinates on the data pad. She could see that she was far outside the waypoints, and much too far to walk in time. She was going to be very late.

"Oh no!" she gasped. "How am I going to get home in time?"

Jib-Jub handed Visper her satchel and walked over to the door, motioning for her to follow. She stuffed the data pad into the satchel and walked over to the door stooping low to exit the hut. She saw something in the distance she had only heard about in stories; a city. Lights were coming on and ships were flying in and out from all directions. Distant music could be heard on the wind. She stumbled backwards and leaned her back on the wall of the hut. It was beautiful.

"What is that place?" she asked Jib-Jub, pointing to the city on the horizon.

"An-chu-had" he said slowly. She realized he was saying 'Anchorhead'. The city was talked about by the guards in the camp, but she never thought she would see it. She stood there for a moment taking in the spectacle as Jib-Jub walked over to a lop-sided shed. She heard an engine start, then die off, then start again. Slowly, a miniature speeder bike emerged from the shed, Jib-Jub sitting on top. He waved to Visper excitedly and patted the seat behind him. She stumbled over some rocks and machine parts and she walked towards him, unable to take her eyes off the city. As she clumsily climbed aboard, Jib-Jub turned to look at her and secured a set of goggles over his eyes. He muttered something and pointed at the handles on the seat for her to hold on to and revved the engine a few times and they sped off into the desert. The suns were low in the sky and silhouetted the city and its twinkling lights. Visper watched it grow smaller and smaller for as long as she could until it disappeared over the horizon. She promised herself she would come back there some day.

Holding on to the speeder with one hand and the data pad with the other, Visper helped navigate back to the slave camp. She pointed out directions to Jib-Jub as they flew across the sands. The suns dipped ever lower in the sky and she became worried that they wouldn't make it in time. She started to see familiar landmarks as they came closer. The tall rock, the skeleton of some long-dead beast and finally the hilly dunes that lead up to the canyon.

"We're getting close, we should stop here," she shouted over the stuttering engine. Jib-Jub nodded and pulled to a stop behind a large boulder. Visper slid off the speeder bike and gave Jib-Jub a tight hug.

"Thank you again, Jib-Jub," she said tenderly. He reached out and grabbed her data pad. He typed in a few commands and handed it back to her. He pointed at the screen.

"Jib-Jub," he said. She could see a new set of coordinates and an indicator that would send a message to his holocommunicator. He once again secured his goggles and waved. He turned the speeder bike and rode away, disappearing over the dunes.

Visper didn't have time to contemplate the new friend she had made. She sprinted the last few hundred yards to the camp. Framed by the gate door was Rhaad. He stood with his arms crossed, glancing occasionally at his data pad to check the time. She realized that she was the last one. More importantly, she realized that the suns had set. She was late.

She ran hard the last few yards into the gate. Rhaad caught her by the arm.

"Disappointing," he said ominously, "You were the last one I thought would ever be late."

"I'm sorry, master!" she clamored, "I was attacked by scurrie..." Rhaad slapped her down hard.

"I am not interested in your excuses, slave," he spat. He pulled the communicator from his belt and spoke into it.

"Gather them all in the courtyard. We had a late arrival," he said. He shoved Visper hard towards the center of the camp, telling her to move. She obeyed. When they reached the center of camp, the other guards had gathered all of the slaves together and lined them up. There were a few dozen all together. She saw Nala and Shelod, eyes wide when they saw her. They exchanged glances of relief intermingled with fear.

The slaves realized what was about to happen as they saw Visper being pushed forward by Rhaad. Some cried out in fear and others simply dropped to their knees. Most gave Visper horrible looks and sneers. They were going to blame her for their pain.

"This one was late today," Rhaad began, "Tardiness is not tolerated in my camp. The penalty is one shock for each of you," He kicked the back of Visper's legs, causing her to fall to her knees. No one asked to be first this time.

Rhaad pulled the shock actuator from his belt. He pointed it at the first slave in the line and pressed the button. The slave cried out and fell. One by one the others received their punishment for Visper's discretion. She felt each shock as if it had been delivered straight to her soul. She had promised herself long ago that this would never happen because of her, but she counted on being attacked by beasts in the desert, kidnapped by a strange little man who became her friend and having to run back to camp after being whisked across the sands by speeder bike. Shelod cried out in pain. Then Nala, then Gerrid. Her friends. Visper felt unbelievable guilt. Then anger. She looked up at Rhaad's face as he carried out the punishment. He showed no emotion. Not joy or guilt or anything that a normal person would reveal. He was a monster made of stone, destroying these people. She wanted to choke him, tear at his face, shock him with that damned actuator. She knew it was futile to try.

The punishment seemed to last all night. Finally the last in line cried out. It was Visper's turn now. Rhaad turned to her and unceremoniously pressed the button. The pain seared through her neck and radiated out to her limbs. Her lekku twitched and she moaned in agony. He kicked her in the side and shocked her again. She wasn't able to breathe to cry out again. He tucked the actuator into his belt.

"Punishment served. Go about your business," Rhaad said.


End file.
